A Teasing Post
Usually, I can still do exterior painting in January. Not every day, but Kansas weather goes up and down almost daily.
February? I hibernate inside.
The Great Interior Plan for February is to get the Parlor and Library decorated! The infamous striped floors are now done, and I have most of the furnishings and all the draperies! TEASE ALERT: The later still needs hemming but an amazing plan is afoot to accomplish this!
In the parlor I need to order and install picture rail. I have decided to wallpaper both rooms below the picture rail, stencil friezes above, and stencil something on the ceilings.
Yesterday a wallpaper sample arrived from Graham & Brown, and I await another sample from the well-known Bradbury & Bradbury for the library. TEASE ALERT: But the latter will SO not be what you would expect. And nor will the parlor sample!
Previously, I have written about discovering samples of the original parlor wallpaper. There is no evidence of the original frieze paper or ceiling paper. Sigh. Working with Bo, I am hoping to recreate the full pattern, and then one day have the wallpaper copied, and reinstalled in the room. This financial extravagance will have to wait though unit the house is restored! I should have a finished kitchen before ordering historic wallpaper, right? Right?
So, whatever I do in the parlor will likely down the road be changed. As such, the plan is to do the walls/ceiling as inexpensively as possible.
Oh, and here…
..is the parlor with the furniture back in place, upon the infamous floor.
I am tingling with excitement.
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You’re such a tease 🙂 And we love your excitement!
NOO! now how am I supposed to sleep at night? Not knowing what papers will hang in the Cross House? Ugh. Anyways I’m very glad you decided on patterned walls and ceilings!
Furniture is lovely also!
I want to know! I want to see! You’re so cruel to us! Such suspense!!
After all this time (OK, your blood sweat and tears) you’re finally going to start decorating rooms! I’m sure I speak for some of us other readers that we are breathless with anticipation. But YOU!! I can only imagine your angst waiting for everything to now fall into place. The Cross House has been and will continue to be so blessed to have you as it’s steward. Carry on Oh Great Wizard Ross! You inspire so many people.
Oh how I wish to be the voluptuous sink you lust after so you could, actually, steal me out the window, and down the downspout, and I could observe your decorative prowess and keen eye for preservation for the rest of my days! HA!
Thank you for your fun updates Ross! Your enthusiasm is contagious!
What everyone said! I am sooooo looking forward to seeing the finished rooms. Almost as much as you are looking forward to finishing them!
I worry what will become of us all some day when Ross has finished the Cross House. We’ll be like the crowd of people jogging along with Forrest Gump when he announced that he was finished: “What the $%#@ are we supposed to do now?” 🙂
Pilgrimage to Emporia?
That made me laugh! I so recall that scene!
Also, I will be working on the house for a LONG time! And the carriage house!
I love seeing every little picture that shows the amazing millwork (the curved windows, OMG!), stained glass, and those incredible fireplaces. I generally hate white walls, but I hardly even notice with that millwork drawing my eye.
The white walls are but temporary!
Confession time: I love your teasing. I try to do it back, but I don’t have fabulous reveal photos to reward you for putting up with me. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for the Cross House!
A finished kitchen may take a while, but a functional one is a priority in my opinion. 🙂
Have you had any luck finding pairs of combination sconces to frame the fireplaces? Speaking from experience, the sconces are MUCH harder to find than the ceiling fixtures, especially in pairs. I’ve only gotten lucky enough to find a matched pair one time.
I not only need gas/electric sconces, but I need them from the early 1890s, AND they need to swivel!
ARGH!
Yikes! I had no idea they were so expensive, and so many styles to choose from! http://www.vintagehardware.com/section_page/wall-sconce.php
I’ll start digging in our antique stores for gems. We have LOTS of 1800’s houses where I am, with people renovating all the time getting rid of “those old things”. It makes me so sad the old ways/things aren’t respected more.
Do combination swivel sconces even exist? I’ve never even seen/heard of one. Have you found any in any of your old lighting catalogues?
I love the Glossy Rossy flooring.